Local bird watchers may have noticed different kinds of birds in greater numbers at bird feeders this year. 2020 marks the biggest “irruption”, or rapid population growth, of northern finches in recent history.
The National Audubon Society reports that this year is a “superflight” year in which every species of finch is moving southward in search of food. The boreal forests, which are in the northernmost parts of the world, do not have enough food, so these birds who are not often seen in the Blue Water Area, as well as much of the United States, are making a rare winter appearance this year.
Forest feast and famine cycles are natural, but COVID-19 plays a role in the irruption as well. The virus prevented spring treatment for invasive “budworms” in Quebec, which hurt the trees of the forest but contributed to a baby boom for finches, as there was a huge food supply.
When backyard bird watchers in the Blue Water Area see new and unusual birds this winter, they are seeing the results of a rare and complex ecological “perfect storm”.
More information about the “finch irruption” is available at:
https://www.audubon.org/news/this-winter-marks-incredible-superflight-hungry-winter-finches
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
